Il Prigioniero for Solo Piano
A virtuosic solo piano piece that is dedicated to those in our society that have been trying for centuries to free themselves from bigotry, those that just want the knee taken off their necks so that they can breathe. The title, Il Prigioniero is named after the Michelangelo sculpture that is housed in Florence. Many have looked on this sculpture as being incomplete because it features unpolished stone. However, I and others see it as a finished work, as a sculpture of a prisoner trying to free himself from the rock. This solo piano composition captures that dynamic with its rough texture and constant tension.